Exploring Kericho, Home of Tea

Kericho is a small evergreen town of Rift valley-Kenya well decorated with vast nature beauty of tea plantation. I first went to Kericho as a Balloon Venture volunteer to train and help Kenyan entrepreneurs to pitch for loan from the organization. Kericho is a blessed town where you can have fun and enjoy breath-taking sceneries, good hotels and best locations to have picnic.
Kericho is a Kipsigis dominated town and the main Language spoken is Kipsigis, Kalenjin language dialect. Kenyan people are hospitable; Kipsigis people are not an expectation. They are very welcoming and they will probably offer you a cup of mursik – a mixture of sour milk and herbs upon visiting their homes. You can see a magnificent view of Mau forest from Kericho although there is rapid human encroachment into the forest. If you are wondering how to get to Kericho, it is connected to Nakuru by a tarmac road. It is 2 hours’ drive from Nakuru town.
There are some factors that makes Kericho a must visit place when in rift valley or a stopover when going to or coming from town of Kisumu.

View of tea Plantation

Tea planting in Kericho dates back to first arrival of white settles in Kenya and since then tea planting has flourished. The tea plantations are well arranged into sections with paths in-between for easy tea picking and also to pave way for the workers. The green field stretches for several kilometres into the horizon creating a beautiful scene only witnessed in the highlands of Kericho. You will find that workers live right in the heart of this plantation. Most farms are owned by the locals though some are still owned by foreigners.

Tea processing

It is good to know where the tea you drink comes from and how it is processed. There are several tea factories in Kericho which you can pay a visit and learn about tea processing from the experts. I visited Kabianga Tea Factory that is on your way to Kabianga University. The place was so big with several sections where different tea processing activities take place. Some of the processing sections include tea leave analysing, sorting and weighing area, cutting, tearing and crushing area, fermentation area, quality control area and final packing area. It would be a nice idea to go, see and learn the processing yourself.

Monkey Point

This is a monkeys sanctuary where you can sip your soda or beer as you enjoy the view of a nearby forest and monkey who are human-friendly. The monkeys mingle with people and they will give you a good welcome to the sanctuary. What I loved about this place is the relaxing serene environment and the good ambiance of the forest.

Best Hotels

Worry not on your voyage to Kericho, there is a world recognized hotel. Tea hotel is a world recognized hotel in Kericho that can cater for your meals and Accommodation. It is located right on the highway from Nakuru on your left hand-side as you enter into the town. The hotel has both rooms and cottages that you can book at pocket friendly prices. It has a big outside sitting area where you can relax and sip your drink as you browser on free available WiFi and big garden where you can relax and watch baboons that frequent the hotel. Though Kericho is cold most time of the year there is a swimming pool that operates every day.

Fishing at Finlay’s dam

This is for fishing lovers. Finlay Dam is a good place to visit in Kericho to go fishing and also walk in the villages within Finlay. There is a cottage right next beside the lake, you can arrange your accommodation plans with the management.
Don’t forget to learn about Kipsigis culture

POPULAR CATEGORY

Medianorth is a progressive media initiative that aims to serve as the leading space where Marsabit County’s leading thinkers, analysts, and writers provide you, our readers, with new perspectives on all issues affecting the Marsabit County Residents. We aim to publish daring perspectives with original content, and beautifully written pieces, to give voice to writers and thinkers so as to inform, educate and empower our people.